By Musa Mbogo
Airtel Money Uganda has partnered with Finca Uganda and fintech firm Kuunda to launch EasyFloat, a product designed to help mobile money agents access instant float loans and improve their capacity to serve customers.
The initiative, unveiled on Wednesday at Fairway Hotel in Kampala, seeks to enhance agent liquidity, increase transaction volumes, and promote financial inclusion across Uganda.
Speaking at the launch, Airtel Money Uganda Managing Director Japhet Aritho said the EasyFloat product would address one of the biggest challenges faced by mobile money agents — lack of float to complete customer transactions.
“I’m very excited today at this launch of EasyFloat. This is a product we have been incubating for a while in partnership with Finca and Kuunda,” Aritho said.
“Many of us have visited an agent and been told there’s no sufficient float. With EasyFloat, an agent can now overdraw their account to complete the transaction. Finca comes in to fund that transaction, so the agent is able to serve the customer.”
He explained that the product allows agents to access an overdraft facility, with Finca acting as the balance sheet provider while Kuunda provides the technology platform.
“Access to credit is a key part of financial inclusion, not just for customers or big companies, but also for our agents,” Aritho said. “Airtel Money has over 374,000 agents across the country many are young people with little capital. This product will help them transact beyond their means, earn more, and grow the economy.”
He added that the product is structured to ensure agents do not incur out-of-pocket losses since the repayment is deducted from commissions generated through transactions financed by EasyFloat.
“The only share taken is from the commission that comes from the loan-facilitated transaction — not from the loan itself,” he noted. “If an agent earns 20 shillings per transaction, they keep 10, while Airtel and Finca share the other 10 to cover operational costs and potential losses.”
Finca Uganda Managing Director James Onyutta described the EasyFloat product as a “critical innovation” that solves a persistent liquidity challenge among mobile money agents and enhances customer experience.
“Many times, customers go to Airtel agents and are told there’s no float. That problem goes away with EasyFloat,” Onyutta said.
“When an agent lacks enough money on their wallet to complete a transaction, EasyFloat allows them to access a temporary loan to facilitate that transaction.”
He revealed that during the pilot phase, agents were given limits of up to UGX 500,000, which could increase depending on their transaction profiles and repayment performance.
“The limit is dynamic. If an agent is short by UGX 5,000 to complete a UGX 20,000 transaction, EasyFloat allows access to that amount instantly. Once the agent replenishes their account, the loan is automatically cleared, and the limit reopens,” Onyuta explained.
Both Airtel and Finca emphasized that the new product is designed to empower small-scale agents, promote financial inclusion, and ensure customers have uninterrupted access to mobile money services.
The launch of EasyFloat comes at a time when Uganda’s mobile money industry continues to expand rapidly, with over 11 million Airtel Money customers transacting every month.
“It’s not just about solving customer challenges, t’s also about helping agents earn more income and sustain their businesses. EasyFloat is a game-changer for financial inclusion in Uganda,” Aritho noted.
Diana Owusu-Kyereko the Chief Executive Officer Kuunda welcomed the introduction of the EasyFloat product, saying it would strengthen the entire mobile money ecosystem by improving efficiency and customer experience.
“With this, agents can serve more customers without service breaks, consumers gain confidence in service availability, and partners enjoy higher transaction volumes and stronger networks,” Owusu-Kyereko said, adding that such innovations play a vital role in driving digital financial inclusion and sustaining Uganda’s growing cashless economy. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
